Ban Alarmed by ‘Dangerous Escalation’ in Ukraine Crisis

Hundreds of thousands of people have
been displaced by the ongoing conflict in eastern Ukraine,
many being women with children. Photo: UNFPA Ukraine/Olena
Kulyk

28 August 2014

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said he is
alarmed by what seems to be a “dangerous escalation” in
the crisis in Ukraine with reports of intensified fighting
in the country south-east near the border with Russia, as
the Security Council held emergency talks on the latest
developments.

“The international community cannot allow
the situation to escalate further nor can a continuation be
allowed of the violence and destruction that the conflict
has wrought in eastern Ukraine,” Mr. Ban’s spokesperson
said in a statement.

It is reported that the
fighting in eastern Ukraine has spread southward, near the
border of the Sea of Azov and Russia.

“If confirmed,
this will mark a dangerous escalation in the Ukrainian
crisis,” said the statement.

Briefing the Security
Council on the latest developments, Under-Secretary-General
for Political Affairs Jeffrey Feltman said that illegal
armed groups operating in the Donetsk region have reportedly
intensified their activities over the last two days,
spreading violence along Ukraine’s southern coast, in the
direction of the key strategic port of Mariupol.

It has
further been reported that several small towns and villages
in the area are now in the midst of heavy fighting, while
the town of Novoazovsk has been seized by the armed groups.
The battle for Lugansk continues, and hostilities in Donetsk
in several key strategic areas have been spreading, he
added.

“We cannot ignore the deeply alarming reports of
Russian military involvement in this new wave of
escalation,” he stated. “If confirmed, it would
constitute a direct contravention of international law and
of the UN Charter.”

He added that the UN has no
independent means of verifying this information, and Russia
has staunchly rejected these reports.

Mr. Feltman, who was
in Kyiv last week to consult with Ukrainian officials, said
the situation on and around the border between Ukraine and
Russia remains a key obstacle to the de-escalation of the
situation on the ground as arms and heavy weaponry
reportedly continue to flow unabated into Ukraine from
Russia. “There is an urgent need to ensure a secure border
between the two countries, with international
verification,” he stated.

He noted the recent statement
made by Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko that the first
bilateral consultations between the border guards of Ukraine
and Russia are scheduled for 30 August.

It is also
critical, Mr. Feltman added, that the elections scheduled
for 26 October can take place throughout Ukraine and become
a unifying and reconciliatory mechanism that will ensure
that people throughout the country feel represented in
Kyiv.

“The immediate focus must be to find ways to
reverse the dangerous escalation of fighting over the past
48 hours and move quickly away from armed conflict and
toward political solutions and dialogue,” he
stated.

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